Agustin
Vasquez-Mendoza Extradited To ArizonaFor
the Murder of DEA Special Agent Richard Fass in 1994

JAN
29— DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy announced the extradition
of Agustin Vasquez-Mendoza from Mexico to the United States to stand
trial for his role in the murder of DEA Special Agent Richard Fass,
10 years ago, in Glendale, Arizona. Vasquez-Mendoza was removed from
Mexico City by DEA Agents and was transported to Phoenix, Arizona,
where he will appear before a Maricopa County Judge to answer a July
5, 1994 Maricopa County Grand Jury indictment for First Degree Murder,
Conspiracy/Armed Robbery, Attempted Murder, Attempted Armed Robbery,
Kidnapping and First Degree Burglary.

On June 30, 1994,
Special Agent Richard E. Fass, while operating in an undercover capacity,
was shot five times, in a cold blooded, pre-meditated plan by Vasquez-Mendoza
and his associates to rob Special Agent Fass of $160,000 in cash that
they believed was for the purchase of methamphetamine. Vasquez-Mendoza
was the head of a criminal organization that owned and operated several
clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in the Mexican State of Senora.
Vasquez-Mendoza then smuggled the methamphetamine into the United States
for distribution. Vasquez-Mendoza and three additional defendants,
Rafael Rubio-Mendez, Juan Vasquez-Rubio and Eduardo Aceves-Vasquez,
were identified as being involved in planning the robbery/murder of
Special Agent Fass. Agustin Vasquez-Mendoza, managed to evade capture
and fled to Mexico. The three co-defendants were arrested and charged.
All three defendants were subsequently convicted and sentenced for
their part in the murder of Special Agent Fass. On July 9, 2000, Agustin
Vasquez-Mendoza was arrested in the State of Puebla, Mexico, and an
extradition was requested for his return to the U.S. to face charges.

"More
than a decade ago, DEA Special Agent Richard Fass was killed in cold-blood
trying to put violent wholesale methamphetamine traffickers out of
business. After a relentless six year manhunt the mastermind behind
Agent Fass' murder is returned to the scene of the crime to face justice," said
DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy.

Paul K. Charlton,
the United States Attorney for the District of Arizona stated “ This
is a good day for Law Enforcement. We are grateful to the Mexican government
and look forward to presenting this case to a jury.”

The manhunt for
Vasquez-Mendoza had been one of the most intense in recent U.S./Mexico
law enforcement history. Special Agents and personnel from the Phoenix
F.D. immediately began searching for the fugitive while the Glendale
and Phoenix Police Department’s homicide units initiated their
murder investigation against his co-defendants. DEA personnel enlisted
the assistance of the intelligence community and many Mexican law enforcement
entities. Vasquez-Mendoza was placed on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s
(FBI) Top Ten List on August 3, 1996. On October 1, 1998, DEA, FBI
and the Department of State offered a reward up to 2.2 million dollars
for his arrest. The arrest and extradition of Vasquez-Mendoza culminates
a long and arduous investigation led by DEA Phoenix Field Division
with assistance from the Mexico City Country Office (MCCO). Vasquez-Mendoza
was profiled in three “America’s Most Wanted” television
productions and two “Unsolved Mystery” productions. Hot
lines were established and manned around the clock handling thousands
of leads that came from as far south as Panama City and as far north
as Montreal, Canada.

“Today
we achieved the outcome we’ve been working so diligently on for
almost 11 years. The exhaustive work of Glendale Police Detectives,
partnering with DEA, made today’s extradition of Agustin VASQUEZ-Mendoza
possible,” said Glendale Chief of Police Andrew Kirkland.

“We are very
happy that Agustin Vasquez-Mendoza is in U.S. custody, and we intend
to prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law,” stated Maricopa
County Attorney Andrew Thomas.

“I would like
to thank the Government of Mexico, in particular, Attorney General
Rafel Macedo de la Concha for monitoring the progress of this investigation
and moving forward with the extradition,” said Administrator
Tandy.

Assistant United
States Attorneys (AUSA) Keith Vercauteren and Kevin Rapp, both of which
are cross-designated as Maricopa County State Prosecutors, are currently
assigned to the Fass murder case and will be responsible for the prosecution
of VASQUEZ-Mendoza upon his arrival in the United States. Vasquez-Mendoza
faces life with the possibility of parole after serving 25 years of
imprisonment if convicted of the charges.

For additional
information, please contact DEA’s Office of Public Affairs at
202-307-7977.